Nafaqa (Spending) of the Parents

September 4, 2010

867

Question

So, about the nafaqa, is it such that the man only has to support his parents if he has the money and thus does not have to get a job specifically to support them.

Answered by: Mufti Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf

Assalamu alaykum

In the name of Allah the Inspirer of truth

Actually this issue of nafaqa was a bit confusing, but the following is what I could gather:

Yes, there is the condition of the son being wealthy (yasar) for the nafaqa of the parents (usul) to be obligatory on him. He has to spend on them if he has the ability.

However, if the father is incapacitated (zamin) then what will be taken into consideration is that the son should be capable of earning. If he is then he has to support them from whatever he has remaining after bearing his own expenses. If he does not have any thing left over after spending on his own needs: then, if he has a family he has to allow his parents to share in what he spends on his family. If he is alone and does not have a family and also does not have anything remaining then he would still be commanded to do so diyanatan.
(Radd al-Muhtar with the Durr 2:677)

And Allah knows best.

Mufti Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf

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Dr. Mufti Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf

Dr. Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera is a British Muslim scholar educated in both the Islamic and Western traditions. He memorised the Qur’an by heart and graduated from the Darul Uloom seminary Bury, UK, and later earned a specialised licence to issue fatwa (legal responses) at Mazahir ‘Ulum Saharanpur, India. He earned his BA from the University of Johannesburg and completed his MA and PhD in Islamic Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He holds an honorary fellowship at The Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Amman, Jordan. Shaykh Abdur-Rahman has the unique experience of serving as an imam in Muslim communities on both sides of the Atlantic, eight years in Southern California and over five in the great city of London—and his continued work as an international speaker and lecturer enables him to address and offer pertinent advice on current challenges that face Muslims in the West. He is the founder of Whitethread Institute, a post-graduate insititute for Islamic scholars. He is an avid traveller and continues to teach hadith and work on scholarly publications through White Thread Press (www.whitethreadpress.com). Many of his lectures are available on www.zamzamacademy.com and his courses through Rayyan Institute (www.rayyaninstitute.com).